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colibri
Stranger
Registered: 02/11/09
Posts: 2
Last seen: 15 years, 2 months
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St. Johns worts dangers
#9778324 - 02/11/09 01:47 PM (15 years, 2 months ago) |
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Hey there, I tried to make a post before, but something went wrong I think. I cannot find it anymore. If does turn out to be somewhere, I am sorry for creating it again .
I wanted to write about St. Johns wort, since I have been using it for a long time already now, and know a little something about it. (I am always hungry for information about such things, I enjoy reading and reading.. and reading some more, so I learn). When I was surfing the internet I came here and found out that a lot of people are using and experimenting with St. Johns wort together with different kinds of drugs. St. Johns wort is pretty much harmless normally but when mixed with the wrong things, together with being used in too high dosages it can cause the serotonin syndrome, which can be (deadly) dangerous. I noticed how people do not only mix it with kinds of drugs, but also sometimes happily add ginkgo and ginseng also. I do not know how it works with mushrooms, but I just wanted to point out what creating a too high serotonine level in the brain can do. St. Johns wort makes this easier to happen, which is no good. I am sure that most people here know about these things very well, probably even better then I do. But I felt I should write it down, just to be sure. So please be careful with st. Johns wort, and if you want to read more on the serotonin syndrome, and the combinations. There is something about it on wikipedia, not much but good I think.
The reason why I started reading about drugs and St. Johns wort is because I wanted to know more about ayauaska. Ayauaska cannot be combined with St. Johns wort, so there I became interested.
Co-libris!
Edited by colibri (02/11/09 01:53 PM)
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Almond Flour
...get off my lawn!
Registered: 12/26/08
Posts: 11,342
Last seen: 4 hours, 29 minutes
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Re: St. Johns worts dangers [Re: colibri]
#9778423 - 02/11/09 02:02 PM (15 years, 2 months ago) |
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good first post.
This new arrival has my blessing
.....now go with peace
-------------------- Hippies and Liberals love Pope Francis, so why dont I quote him for you guys. "There is NO SALVATION outside the Catholic Church"
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daytripper23
?
Registered: 06/22/05
Posts: 3,595
Loc:
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Re: St. Johns worts dangers [Re: Almond Flour]
#9779182 - 02/11/09 04:09 PM (15 years, 2 months ago) |
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I only speak from a basis in herbs, I do not know about the interactions outside of this. First of all, could you post sources?
I have read about SJW interactions with other "antidepressent" herbs, strictly speaking, MAOI's. I am always careful about MAOI's. But I have also heard of negative interactions with other maoi-like anti-depressents, such as passion flower and valarean root, and I pay attention to this as well.
On the other hand, I haven't heard about any interaction with ginseng and ginko, which is pretty crucial to me.
Like I said, I have done a minor bit of reading on st john's wort, and I interpreted most of the most alarmist reactions to be just barely worth considering. That is, I pay attention, but wisely or not, I have not really thought twice about taking st johns wort in the morning, and valerian root/passion flower in the same evening.
Ok now for my tangential shpeal:
I know this isn't evidence to the contrary, but keep in mind they are "just herbs". I am not declaring this as an absolute; I am just saying that it is more than easy to suspect a reaction to the modern pharmaceutical philosophy imposed on the long tradition of herb use; that is to a large extent essentially "alarmist" in the old world.
For instance, what many herbalists have always found rather useful in philosophies of Hippocrates and other traditions, is now completely overshadowed by the modern absolutes of pharmaceutical inquisition.
There is no room for Hippocratian "vagueness", or the "dogmas" of Ayurveda medicine in the modern world. And of course, there is plenty of truth to this; if we applied the old philosophies to the pharmacuetical realm, its highly likely we would end up dead.
While there is no substantial line between natural and synthetic, I still think mindset of "translation" is crucial, despite any usefulness of this new philosophy.
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thedirtymac
Registered: 08/11/08
Posts: 358
Loc: PNW
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Re: St. Johns worts dangers [Re: daytripper23]
#9784190 - 02/12/09 10:31 AM (15 years, 2 months ago) |
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I would like to see if anyone else has anything to add to this and add myself that I stopped taking SJW about month ago. I found that it interacts with my birth control and as a result makes it inactive. To any woman taking SJW and birth control, READ YOUR PRESCRIPTION INFORMATION!! It's real important. I also experienced what I could only describe as withdrawals, a very bad feeling I'm assuming as a result of lower serotonin levels. I was also not having a very good time in my life so it's hard to connect it fully to the termination of use.
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EntheogenicPeace
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Registered: 10/04/05
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Re: St. Johns worts dangers *DELETED* [Re: colibri]
#9787349 - 02/12/09 08:36 PM (15 years, 2 months ago) |
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Post deleted by EntheogenicPeace
Reason for deletion: ---
Edited by EntheogenicPeace (12/10/21 06:08 PM)
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colibri
Stranger
Registered: 02/11/09
Posts: 2
Last seen: 15 years, 2 months
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Hey there, I cannot answer all these questions with certainty, my sources come from the internet and a little book, and I am not a doctor . A little problem might be that I am Dutch, and have been reading most in this language. I think that if you have a question about combining certain things. Just use google, fill in both names in your own language or english and read everything that comes out. I found that wikipedia (in both english and dutch) gave good information. When you go to 'serotonin syndrome' on wikipedia, and schrol down a little you will find info about bad combinations. (a list) To try and answer a little anyway, I myself have been using ginseng combined with st. Johns wort, and did not have any trouble. It was even prescribed by a doctor (a natural doctor, homeopath) But when you go to the wikipedia list I wrote about, you will see that it has been put in the list of bad combo`s. I imagine that only these two are pretty much ok, because they have minimal effect. I do not think it would give trouble. But if you add the wrong kind of drugs to it, it can become too much. It is a matter of using different things together that all work towards higher serotonin levels. Just mixing stuff for fun, and seeing the results can be dangerous this way. St. Johns wort makes people feel happy and it is 'just a herb', but it is one that really makes stuff happen in the brain and the rest of the body. 'Just a herb' is in my eyes a bit of an odd way of thinking. A herb is a plant that does something with the body, when you think about how st. Johns wort can possibly stop the birth control pill from working you may see that this little herb is actually really changing things. In this case in the liver (the birth control case) I believe, it creates an enzyme that breaks down the hormones of the pill? (correct me if I am wrong, I am not sure). It breaks down hormones!! This is a very amazing thing, a very strong thing with lots of effect. Hormones are an important thing in the body, they make so much happen. (the magic of the body :P)
Herbs are interesting Even when you do not notice what they do. (which is often the case).
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